That elusive, long-awaited, excessive-slobber-creating first tooth popped out of Nicholas's gums on the 14th, as evidenced by the sharp pain I felt when he jammed my finger in his mouth for a good chomp. Today it is actually visible to the naked eye, so I'll try to pop a picture of it soon.
My little toothy guy.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Why oh why?
OK. For all of you scientists out there, I'm looking for an answer to this little gem, which I got last night...
Lucas: Mom, why is it that you can't tickle yourself? Well, what I mean is, when you tickle yourself, how come it's not funny enough to make you laugh?
**********************
And for those of you who have no answer to that, perhaps you'll find the following a bit amusing. It took place in the car this morning on the way to the boys' school.
Me: Matthew, when you get home, you need to clean your room. (silence) Matthew, are you listening to me?
Matthew: What? Oh, sorry mom. I had my hand in the air and couldn't hear what you were saying.
Lucas: Mom, why is it that you can't tickle yourself? Well, what I mean is, when you tickle yourself, how come it's not funny enough to make you laugh?
**********************
And for those of you who have no answer to that, perhaps you'll find the following a bit amusing. It took place in the car this morning on the way to the boys' school.
Me: Matthew, when you get home, you need to clean your room. (silence) Matthew, are you listening to me?
Matthew: What? Oh, sorry mom. I had my hand in the air and couldn't hear what you were saying.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Happy Half-Birthday!
First, congratulations to my cousin Trish and her husband Brian. After many years of trying, waiting and praying, they are expecting their first little miracle in October!!!
Second, happy half-birthday to our little Nicholas, who turned six-months yesterday. He marked the occasion by showing off...
and playing with his dad.
Yesterday, I heard of a professor from Carnegie Mellon University who gave what has become a famous "Last Lecture" several months ago. His story, and his speech, moved me. Life really is too short to worry about the small stuff and today I'm looking at my world with a more positive mindset. If you have the time, read about his story and check out the "Last Lecture" on his website. If you don't have much time, he did a reprise on Oprah. That version is much shorter and is available here. Get out the kleenex first, though.
Last, but not least, the other day our neighbors brought in some big machinery. Nicholas was fascinated (and the guy operating the digger/grabber thing gave him a big smile and a wave, which was cool).
You can read Nicholas's mind in this picture... "I can't wait to get my fingers in that dirt! I can paint mommy's white walls with it. I can eat it! I can smear it in my hair!
Second, happy half-birthday to our little Nicholas, who turned six-months yesterday. He marked the occasion by showing off...
and playing with his dad.
Yesterday, I heard of a professor from Carnegie Mellon University who gave what has become a famous "Last Lecture" several months ago. His story, and his speech, moved me. Life really is too short to worry about the small stuff and today I'm looking at my world with a more positive mindset. If you have the time, read about his story and check out the "Last Lecture" on his website. If you don't have much time, he did a reprise on Oprah. That version is much shorter and is available here. Get out the kleenex first, though.
Last, but not least, the other day our neighbors brought in some big machinery. Nicholas was fascinated (and the guy operating the digger/grabber thing gave him a big smile and a wave, which was cool).
You can read Nicholas's mind in this picture... "I can't wait to get my fingers in that dirt! I can paint mommy's white walls with it. I can eat it! I can smear it in my hair!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
First loss
On Friday night, just before bedtime, we discovered that Lucas's beloved hamster, Ribsy, had passed away silently in his cage.
As a mother, it's hard to watch your child deal with sorrow. When we first told him that Ribsy was dead, Lucas put on a very brave face and nonchalantly said "ok". Then I said, "Lucas, it's all right if you want to cry". And then my little boy cried and cried, taking deep, staggering breaths between each sob, while at the same time he struggled to be all grown-up. I held him in my arms and tried to keep myself from crying with him. We talked the whole thing through, agreed to bury Ribsy the next day at the bottom of our hill, and put Lucas to bed, where he cried himself to sleep.
Poor thing. Lucas, I mean. And Ribsy too.
So here's a little salute to Ribsy, who ate too much (and hid the rest), who liked to chomp on our fingers, and who never really got the attention he deserved.
As a mother, it's hard to watch your child deal with sorrow. When we first told him that Ribsy was dead, Lucas put on a very brave face and nonchalantly said "ok". Then I said, "Lucas, it's all right if you want to cry". And then my little boy cried and cried, taking deep, staggering breaths between each sob, while at the same time he struggled to be all grown-up. I held him in my arms and tried to keep myself from crying with him. We talked the whole thing through, agreed to bury Ribsy the next day at the bottom of our hill, and put Lucas to bed, where he cried himself to sleep.
Poor thing. Lucas, I mean. And Ribsy too.
So here's a little salute to Ribsy, who ate too much (and hid the rest), who liked to chomp on our fingers, and who never really got the attention he deserved.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Setting sail
Following our days in Chicago, we joined mom, dad, Tim, Kathi, Samantha, and Tyson on a Miami-bound flight. Once again, Nicholas entertained, free of charge. As this was a smaller plane (an Embraer), he was able to keep everyone on the flight busy holding their ears as he alternated between screaching and screaming.
We spent Friday night at the Days Inn Miami Airport North. My only comment on that subject is don't go there unless you get a really good price (like $22). A good clue to the type of the hotel is the website's indication that the hotel is located close to the dog track. The kids enjoyed playing in the pool, though, and I didn't mind the close proximity to an IHOP when it came to breakfast the next morning. By that time, Steen and Matthew had flown in from Stockholm and our family was complete -- and ready for our cruise.
The cruise was an amazing gift from mom and dad to all of us. It was a 7-night trip, with stops at Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and Labadee, Haiti.
We boarded Royal Carribbean's Liberty of the Seas at 1 on Saturday afternoon (the Liberty is to the left in the 2nd photo below -- I think it's amazing how she towers over the other ship).
From that point on, I lost all track of time. We relaxed, enjoyed the lack of dishes to wash or beds to make, pampered ourselves, and ate (and ate and ate -- you can eat 24 hours a day on an RCCL ship). We took time to talk and catch up with each other without the everyday stresses of work and home life. It was a wonderful, unforgettable trip.
Among the highlights (in no particular order):
We spent Friday night at the Days Inn Miami Airport North. My only comment on that subject is don't go there unless you get a really good price (like $22). A good clue to the type of the hotel is the website's indication that the hotel is located close to the dog track. The kids enjoyed playing in the pool, though, and I didn't mind the close proximity to an IHOP when it came to breakfast the next morning. By that time, Steen and Matthew had flown in from Stockholm and our family was complete -- and ready for our cruise.
The cruise was an amazing gift from mom and dad to all of us. It was a 7-night trip, with stops at Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and Labadee, Haiti.
We boarded Royal Carribbean's Liberty of the Seas at 1 on Saturday afternoon (the Liberty is to the left in the 2nd photo below -- I think it's amazing how she towers over the other ship).
From that point on, I lost all track of time. We relaxed, enjoyed the lack of dishes to wash or beds to make, pampered ourselves, and ate (and ate and ate -- you can eat 24 hours a day on an RCCL ship). We took time to talk and catch up with each other without the everyday stresses of work and home life. It was a wonderful, unforgettable trip.Among the highlights (in no particular order):
- Hanging out in the stateroom with mom (after putting Nicholas to bed), sharing our thoughts and laughing together
- Vegging on a floating mat at the beach in Labadee, Haiti (as you can see, mom had ensured floating mats for all of us) and watching the kids -- old and young -- have a ball on the giant water slide
- Shopping with dad at A Touch of Gold in Phillipsburg, St. Maarten, where he helped me get an excellent price on a beautiful ring commemorating my three boys. We always make a pretty good team. (By the way, he also managed to pick up something that glitters in the sun for mom while we were there!)
- Watching Matthew and Lucas conquer the Flowrider (and their own initial fear) in bodyboarding
- Treating myself to the Ladies' Night special, which included a facial, back and shoulder massage, foot and ankle massage and scalp massage. Heavenly!
- Watching the sunrise from our balcony
- Having the most amazing photos taken of our little ones
- Dinner at Chop's Grille -- definitely one of the best I've had in ages
- Congratulating mom, and then dad, on their respective Blackjack Tournament wins... and congraulating Tim on blowing the competition away at the Slots Tournament
- Yelling BINGO and winning over $200 (yes, we are one happy gambling family)
- Seeing the excitement on Samantha, Lucas and Steen's faces when they returned from their treetop adventure on St. Maarten
- Watching Samantha and Tyson take excellent care of their newest cousin, as well as seeing all five of the cousins grow closer to each other as the days passed
- Wandering around Puerto Rico and buying myself the most expensive purse I've ever owned (far beyond my usual JCPenney extravagances)
I'm sure there were plenty more. Times like these are precious to me, especially as we get so little time together with mom and dad or with Tim and Kathi and their kids. I cannot tell you how much we enjoyed ourselves.
Here are some random pictures. Let me know if any of you need an explanation.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Filling in for Grey
I find myself here at the computer, forced to write since it seems that my weekly must-see TV (Grey's Anatomy) has been taken over by a hockey match. Can you believe it????
I thought I'd post about the four days Nicholas, Lucas and I had in Chicago before we left on our long-awaited cruise.
We landed in Chicago on Monday afternoon, thankfully a bit early given Nicholas's performance on the plane. After a pleasant encounter with the passport control officer (who politely ignored Nicholas's screaming and communicated with me via facial expressions), grabbing our bags and baby buggy, and turning in the proper customs form, we finally emerged into the waiting area where we were met with warm hugs from mom and dad.
Outside it was a frigid 1 degree Celcius and there was snow on the ground, so we hurried to the car. Dad whisked us to Grandpa's house, where Nicholas had his first meeting with his Great-Grandfather (the photo is from a visit later in the week, though).
This was an emotional moment for me -- my grandfather is one of the most amazing men I know, a man I love for his kind heart, honesty and warmth. I have always respected him and I feel we have grown even closer in the past few years. I treasure every moment I get to spend with him.
Grandpa had whipped up an Easter feast that would have fed the fifth army (of any country), which was enjoyed by mom, dad, Tim, Samantha, Tyson, Lucas, my dad's cousin Stevie and myself. Grandpa ate when he wasn't in the kitchen stirring in his many pots or slicing the ham, but I'm not really sure that he actually ate very much. The rest of us stuffed ourselves Thanksgiving-style with Grandpa's pasta, meatballs, Italian sausage, ham, sweet potatoes, salad, bread, and creamed vegetables. We followed that with cake and fruit salad (as if any of us were still hungry -- still, when Grandpa's cooking, who can resist???!!!!) Forgive me, Grandpa, if my list is missing something!
We then sat around the table for a few hours chatting and relaxing before the boys and I headed off with mom and dad to their house for a good night's sleep. I knew at that point that my relatively (compared to pre-pregnancy) slim figure might be endangered by this vacation, but the next second I threw that thought out the window.
Both Nicholas and Lucas adjusted surprisingly quickly to the time difference. We spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday doing some shopping (Target, Woodfield Mall, Dominick's, etc.) and doing some more eating. Nicholas joined in too!
Lucas spent as much time as he possibly could using mom and dad's OnDemand system to watch his favorite cartoons. Nicholas spent some time catching up with Grandma and Grandpa.
It was wonderful to have a few days to spend at mom and dad's to chat, laugh and relax. Grandpa came up one day and we walked up to a local farm that is open to the public. All in all, we had a great -- but all too short -- time in Chicago.
I thought I'd post about the four days Nicholas, Lucas and I had in Chicago before we left on our long-awaited cruise.
We landed in Chicago on Monday afternoon, thankfully a bit early given Nicholas's performance on the plane. After a pleasant encounter with the passport control officer (who politely ignored Nicholas's screaming and communicated with me via facial expressions), grabbing our bags and baby buggy, and turning in the proper customs form, we finally emerged into the waiting area where we were met with warm hugs from mom and dad.
Outside it was a frigid 1 degree Celcius and there was snow on the ground, so we hurried to the car. Dad whisked us to Grandpa's house, where Nicholas had his first meeting with his Great-Grandfather (the photo is from a visit later in the week, though).
This was an emotional moment for me -- my grandfather is one of the most amazing men I know, a man I love for his kind heart, honesty and warmth. I have always respected him and I feel we have grown even closer in the past few years. I treasure every moment I get to spend with him.Grandpa had whipped up an Easter feast that would have fed the fifth army (of any country), which was enjoyed by mom, dad, Tim, Samantha, Tyson, Lucas, my dad's cousin Stevie and myself. Grandpa ate when he wasn't in the kitchen stirring in his many pots or slicing the ham, but I'm not really sure that he actually ate very much. The rest of us stuffed ourselves Thanksgiving-style with Grandpa's pasta, meatballs, Italian sausage, ham, sweet potatoes, salad, bread, and creamed vegetables. We followed that with cake and fruit salad (as if any of us were still hungry -- still, when Grandpa's cooking, who can resist???!!!!) Forgive me, Grandpa, if my list is missing something!
We then sat around the table for a few hours chatting and relaxing before the boys and I headed off with mom and dad to their house for a good night's sleep. I knew at that point that my relatively (compared to pre-pregnancy) slim figure might be endangered by this vacation, but the next second I threw that thought out the window.
Both Nicholas and Lucas adjusted surprisingly quickly to the time difference. We spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday doing some shopping (Target, Woodfield Mall, Dominick's, etc.) and doing some more eating. Nicholas joined in too!
Lucas spent as much time as he possibly could using mom and dad's OnDemand system to watch his favorite cartoons. Nicholas spent some time catching up with Grandma and Grandpa.It was wonderful to have a few days to spend at mom and dad's to chat, laugh and relax. Grandpa came up one day and we walked up to a local farm that is open to the public. All in all, we had a great -- but all too short -- time in Chicago.
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